


Agony in Fear

by SansyFresh



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Anxiety, Blood, Body Horror, Gen, Hurt, Hurt/Comfort, Limb Dismemberment, Muteness, Non-Consensual Body Modification, Panic Attacks, Violence, Yandere Papyrus, graphic depictions of injuries
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-08
Updated: 2018-07-04
Packaged: 2019-02-12 02:00:32
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,067
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12948882
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SansyFresh/pseuds/SansyFresh
Summary: “Come on out Sans. Don’t make me come find you.”





	1. Don't Make Me Come Find You

**Author's Note:**

> So it turns out I can't control myself and just work on the other 2 million things I need to get a chapter out for. No, I gotta work on this idea that's been eating at me for a few months. Oh well lol 
> 
> I hope you all enjoy ^^ Please pay attention to the tags.
> 
> Warnings for: Bodily harm and graphic depictions of injuries, Papyrus being a scary guy, and general horror movie vibes.
> 
> (seriously guys, i gave myself the willies writing this shit)
> 
> Just as a note, the Yandere Papyrus and abused Sans in this fic are from Tale.

The snow was freezing beneath his bare feet, stray brambles and whips of branches catching at his torn clothing as he hobbled through the underbrush, willing his legs to go faster even as his entire body screamed at him to stop. He couldn’t stop, if he stopped Papyrus would find him, if he stopped Papyrus would catch him and take him back, he couldn’t go back, he wouldn’t go back, _he would rather die_ -

 

Sans was torn from his panic as he tripped over something under the snow, ending up with a facefull of snow and dirt. Spitting out what little had gotten in his mouth, he struggled to lift himself back up, to keep moving. It took him a moment, until he finally got his legs to cooperate with him long enough to keep him standing. Leaning against a tree for balance, Sans listened for a long moment. Papyrus had been due back from his rounds in the forest about an hour before Sans had finally clawed the lock off the back door. That should have given him a good enough head start to go the long way, find a place to hide, and stay hidden for as long as it’d take.

 

He really didn’t have much of a plan besides getting away. No one would believe him if he tried to tell them what his brother...what Papyrus had been doing. He would be called insane, and whoever he went to for help would just call Papyrus to come get his crazy older brother and he’d never get away again. Papyrus would never give him the _chance_ to get away again.

 

Sans scraped at his face with a mangled hand, the pain sharp as he gripped his eye socket to keep himself stable. There was no way Papyrus would know where he’d gone. The forest around him was silent beside the faint breeze that kicked up small puffs of snow every now and then. It was snowing when he left, so most of his tracks would have been covered before Papyrus was even home to know he’d left. He just needed to keep moving.

 

Shuffling his toes a bit, Sans winced as he realized there was little feeling left in them. It didn’t matter, not when he was still this close to town. He could still see some of the glow from the buildings through the trees. It was faint, and already it was almost too dark to see more than a few yards in any direction, but the fact that he could still see any of the light from town was making the fear curled in his soul all the more strong.

 

Stepping forward with one foot, then the other, Sans began moving through the trees once more, though now he was moving even slower than before and every tree within reach was gripped as tightly as his hands could manage. If he fell over again, he doubted he would be able to get back up.

 

He’d made it just far enough that the soft glow from town was nearly gone when a loud crack sounded throughout the forest, the silence making the sharp sound even more pronounced. Sans stood frozen in place, sockets as wide as they could go, the small white eyelights gone from the blackness. The silence reigned once more afterwards, even the wind calm. It was dark enough that Sans couldn’t see more than the trees and undergrowth around him, making the fact that there was such a loud noise in an area that he couldn’t see anything all the more terrifying. He listened for a long moment, unwilling to move and make any noise himself if something (his brother) was actually out there. After nothing but silence, he moved forward, inching along as quietly as he could move, eyelights flitting back and forth rapidly, searching for any kind of shape in the darkness that looked anything like someone waiting for him.

 

He took a step, listened, then took another. On and on, ignoring the thoughts screaming in his mind, ignoring the burning pain in his bones. All he had to do was make it to the far side of Snowdin Forest, as close to the cavern walls as he could go. Then he could rest.

 

Sans stopped once more, listening intently for any sign that something could have been still following him, then took another step, only for something to crack loudly under his foot as he let his weight press down. The sound echoed around him, ringing in his head as his panic and fear threatened to choke him. The next thing he was aware of was his body huddled into a ball, knees pressed to his chest and his fingers clawing at his ratty pair of shorts, his teeth clenched so hard his skull began to ache.

 

If anything was out there, it had certainly heard him. It would be on its way, it would find him, Papyrus would find him, he would never be free.

 

He trembled as his eyelights strained to see anything in the shadow that surrounded him, the silence making his fear worse as he waited for what he knew was coming. The longer it lasted, the worse he felt, until finally he choked on a sob, his face burying into his knees. His soul felt as though it was twisting in his chest, his fear making him feel sick even as his breaths shuddered. But the longer he waited, listening for something, anything, the longer the silence lasted. Peering between his legs around the small clearing he sat in, Sans rubbed at his tear streaked face, trying to calm himself enough to stop crying. If he kept crying, he’d keep making noise, and if there was something, it’d hear him.

 

He’d finally gotten himself to stop sobbing when _something_ shuffled through the snow off to his right, another low, more quiet crack of the underbrush sounding somewhere outside of his field of view. He tensed, going completely still as the sounds continued, his mind blank. A louder crack, closer to where he sat made him nearly shoot to his feet, his fear the only thing keeping him where he was. If he didn’t move it wouldn’t be able to find him, he just had to stay still, don’t move, don’t move-

 

“Sans?”

 

No.

 

“I know you’re out here brother. Do you think I’d really let you just leave?”

 

_No_

 

“I have to _protect_ you, Sans. Come back home with me and I’ll make you some spaghetti, how does that sound?”

 

He couldn’t, he couldn’t

 

“Come on out Sans. Don’t make me come find you.”

 

_He couldn’t_

 

“I’m giving you to the count of three. If you don’t come out before then, I’m going to have to punish you, and I don’t want to have to do that Sans.”

 

Phantom pains riddled his bones, the missing phalanges of his hands stinging even though they were no longer there.

 

“3.”

 

He had to get away, he had to run, _he had to do anything other than sit here and let Papyrus find him!_

 

“2.”

 

He checked his magic frantically, praying that he had enough for at least a small jump. He didn’t care if he died wherever he landed, anything was better than letting Papyrus find him.

 

“1. You really have disappointed me, Sans. Why won’t you just let me take care of you? I love you brother, why can’t you see that?”

 

The sound of boots crunching in the snow marched ever closer as Sans gathered what little magic he had access to and closed his sockets, willing himself to be anywhere, anywhere but here. There was a faint tug on his soul as his magic responded, his eyes opening to find Papyrus staring at him with a blank expression, a gloved hand outstretched to grab him, just as he took his shortcut.

 

Everything went black.


	2. Still in Snowdin

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for this taking so long to update lol Real life shit happened and my apparent distaste for yandere stuff kinda carried over a bit... But I've figured out mostly what's going on with this one. So uh, yeah. I had to add some tag for this chapter, the main ones being Limb Dismemberment and Body Horror. Just as a warning lol.
> 
> Enjoy?

_ “I do this because I love you.”  _

 

He woke up with a start, sockets flying open as he sat up in the snow. His breathing was ragged, uneven as his chest hitched. His sockets felt wet, swollen from all the sobbing he’d been doing in his sleep. Sans rubbed at his face, wishing he still had his jacket as he shivered in the frigid air. He was still in Snowdin... maybe just a different part of the forest? It was colder here than he remembered it being, even with the thin shirt and shorts draped over his thin bones. 

 

He sat there in the snow until he got his breath back, the stuttering of his chest slowing marginally. If he was still in Snowdin, Papyrus would find him before long. He had to move, continue his journey to the far reaches of the forest. If no one ever found him it would be a miracle. If he died of exposure...it was better than the alternatives. Rubbing his face to clear the dried tear tracts, he winced at the biting wind that carried through the trees... then froze at the low sound of rattling that hadn’t come from himself. 

 

Blank sockets glanced around the small clearing, assessing every branch and bush in the area. There were no footsteps, no rustling and cracking of someone forcing their way through the underbrush, but still the faint rattling sounded in the otherwise still silence. He settled back slowly, resting against the rough tree bark as he listened carefully for a moment longer. Finally, satisfied that it wasn’t someone ( _ his brother _ ) looking for him, he relaxed, face scrunching as he began to scratch his left shoulder.

 

The rattling intensified, the loud noise right next to his skull. Sans jerked back, flinging his arm to get whatever it was away, only to flinch as something thumped into the snow beside him. There was a pressure on the end of his sleeve, the feeling so vaguely familiar it sent shivers down his spine. Skull swiveling ever so slowly, his sockets scrunched shut before he could see what it was, his soul pounding with fear. It was too much, too much to deal with, too much to handle.

 

One socket scrunched open, eyelight focusing ever so slightly, and in the next moment he was crawling his way up the trunk of the tree, forcing himself on his feet, his hands smacking the disembodied arm away and off the hem of his shirt. The rattling bones flew away from him and thudded against the snow, the ends slowly dusting. His breath came in hitches, tears dotting his sockets as his hands clawed at his chest. It felt as though his soul was going to rip through his sternum, like it was going to shatter into a million pieces.

 

Suddenly, a loud crack broke through his panic, and in the next moment he was running through the brambles, over the snow, tarsals tearing on rocks and ice under the powder, small scratches turning crimson with bubbling marrow as he forced himself on with tears streaming down his face. He couldn’t be caught, Papyrus would never forgive him, Papyrus would punish him, he would hurt him he would kill him he would dust and it was all his fault

 

~.~

 

Red waited semi-patiently as Dogaressa sniffed the ground, her nose snuffling about the small pile of dust before pointing farther into the forest. Rolling his eyes, he settled back against a tree trunk, arms crossed. 

 

“Isn’t that where yer bastard said ‘e heard ‘em run?”

 

Dogressa held back a snarl, a low growl replacing the action. “It’s better to know for sure, Pup.”

 

Red sighed, nodding in assent as he tossed her a dog treat from his pocket, grin lifting in a smirk as she snapped on it happily. Turning back to look towards the direction of the path, Red contemplated the benefits and disadvantages of letting Boss know there was something weird going on before he’d checked it out himself. Yeah, his little brother knew what he was doing, but sometimes he liked to have a little assurance that it wasn’t something they wouldn’t be able to handle before Boss threw himself headlong into danger.

 

Turning back to Dogaressa, who was patiently waiting for further orders, he jerked a thumb back towards town. “Head back and report ta the Captain. Tell ‘em I’m checkin’ somethin’ out; ‘ll let ‘em know if I come up wit’ anythin’.” His eyelight flared, Dogaressa nodding in deference as she moved around and past him, out of the forest and back to Snowdin.

 

Hopefully his brother would trust him long enough to let him make sure things were all good. A random pile of dust wasn’t unusual, but Dogamy’s report of what “smells like bones!” was. There shouldn’t have been any other skeletons running around; if there was it meant nothing but trouble and Red preferred to deal with trouble as quickly as possible.

 

Sighing, he cracked his spine, snorting as the noise carried through the woods before he began down the direction the dogs had pointed him in. If he was lucky, the fucker was already dead. If not, well, Red wasn’t so helpless.


	3. Grumpy Crimson

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Look at that, another chapter for this fic XD Just really felt like it deserved an update, and I had a nice comment asking for another chapter, so here ya go :D

Red moved carefully but suredly through the forest, following the faint tracks that lead even deeper in than he was accustomed to traveling. Still, he only had an hour or so before Boss inevitably discovered his little ploy. The tracks were small, about the size of his own feet, if not slightly smaller. Smaller monsters were easier to deal with, as a general rule, though it could still be a trap leading to an ambush of several more, larger monsters than the one he was currently tracking.

 

Pushing past a low hanging branch, he listened carefully. He’d reached the edge of the cavern, the footprints leading all the way back. Here the snow was a bit more disturbed, as if whoever was running had some sort of fit before deciding what path to take. Which was great, fantastic, a crazy ass monster was exactly what he wanted to deal with right now. Moving onward, he noticed that some branches were cracked, but not fully broken, meaning whoever it was wasn’t very powerful. Which, he supposed could be expected for their size.

 

The closer he got to the cavern wall the more unease he felt, his soul constricting in his chest as he finally pushed through some brush only to find himself staring at the cold stone wall. There were fallen rocks, boulders and such that had long been covered in snow. He looked up with a curse. Dying by falling rock would not be a great way to go.

 

The footprints crawled over the boulders, which was interesting. He followed carefully, noticing that whoever it was had crawled over, almost desperately, instead of just walking up and over. Were they injured? There was no blood path, but maybe it was a monster that didn’t bleed. Whoever it was was definitely scared, so the ambush path was looking less and less likely. 

 

Finally, as he got to the top of the boulders, he looked down, only to swear loudly at what he saw. There was a monster at the bottom of a nearly sheer drop, their leg very obviously broken as it bent in an awkward way, away from their body. They were wearing a dingy white shirt, black shorts, and...if he wasn’t tripping, they were a skeleton.

 

Swearing again, he spat at the ground. There wasn’t supposed to be any more skeletons, not here anyways. Growling, he popped down to the bottom, nudging the comatose monster with his shoe. Of course this would happen, it wasn’t like some other universe could get stuck with this guy. Sighing, he checked the guy. One hit point, fan-fucking-tastic. At least the guy still had that hit point, Red was shit at healing. 

 

Digging out his phone, he grimaced as he hit the button for his brother’s number, putting the phone up to his skull. 

 

“Whelp, when you get back there will be consequences.” Ah, his “I’m worried but I’m in public so I’m going to sound like an asshole even though I’m actually pretty mad.” It was a familiar one. Red huffed.    
  
“I’ll take it later, Boss. There’s somethin’ you need ta see.” 

 

~.~

 

It’d taken some doing, but he’d gotten the guy (the Sans, if he was right) back to the house. Boss had been waiting for him there, his concerned look tempered by his anger that, once again, Red had put himself in unneeded danger. Red was pretty much ready for that conversation, he just hoped it’d be put long enough for him to get the guy stabilized. 

 

“I assume you found him like this.” It wasn’t a question. It was a statement of expectance, of a promise that if Red had done this to someone with such low health, there would be more consequences than a mustard ban. Red huffed.

 

“Yep. Little guy went over some rocks at tha border an’ slipped right over the side.”

 

Boss’ sockets narrowed as he took a good look over the small body, the little guy visibly breathing now that he was out of the cold and thawed out a little. Sighing, Boss knelt down, green magic sparking at his fingertips as he gently began moving the leg back in place, healing the fracture until only a scar remained. 

 

Red watched passively, expression uninterested even as he watched with cautious eyelights. Once the guy was healed, there was no reason he shouldn’t wake up, unless he’d hit his head on the way down, but there weren’t any cracks on his skull, no dents or rents. In fact most of his body was like that, the bones almost pristine, which just solidified the thought in Red’s mind that the guy wasn’t from around here. 

 

Once Boss was satisfied that it wasn’t going to heal any further, he laid it back down on their couch.

 

“How long do you think he’ll be staying here.” Once again it was less a question and more a statement. Which was weird, in a way, but that’s how Boss worked. It meant less what he said and more “So he’s staying a while then.”

 

Red just grunted. Boss gave him a side glance, then leaned against the wall, arms crossed. It was all they could do, to wait for him to wake up and give them answers. 


End file.
